]]>http://petsaretalking.com/blog/2016/12/the-once-yearly-sale-is-on-until-december-9th.html/feed0http://petsaretalking.com/blog/2016/12/the-once-yearly-sale-is-on-until-december-9th.htmlScoutie the wonder dog needs a home- Is it your home?http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/PetsAreTalking/~3/rYD7B_7zvII/scoutie-the-wonder-dog-needs-a-home-is-it-your-home.html
http://petsaretalking.com/blog/2016/04/scoutie-the-wonder-dog-needs-a-home-is-it-your-home.html#respondFri, 01 Apr 2016 19:26:50 +0000http://petsaretalking.com/blog/?p=1674Continue reading →]]>We have fostered Scoutie for nearly four weeks, and in that time, he’s gone from a scared and snappy little fellow, with some resource issues and conflict control aggression, to a total sweetheart that I will miss hanging out with.

Scoutie is a dachshund/papillion mix (we think). He weighs about 15 lbs. He is not quite knee-high.

Scoutie is four years old. He may be little, but he hikes like a pro, and is, in no way, a shitty little dog. Scoutie is neutered. He has all of his shots. And by the time he is adopted, he will have had his teeth done too.

I will miss his kisses and his happy dance. I will miss our little talks.

As much as I love dogs, I’m not one of those people that loves every dog and wants to hang out with every dog, and when I met Scoutie, I thought, Oh, you are a piece of work.

For the first year of his life, he lived in a home that was unpredictable, where he was abused by a man and where rules were arbitrary. There is nothing that makes a dog more nervous (or human) than when rules are arbitrary and ever-changing.

Scoutie- after about a week and a half of fostering

It was so bad that a relative spirited Scoutie away. to a shelter, where the man who abused him came and got him back. Another relative took him and drove him several hours away to a rescue group.

This little dog needed a home where he was socialized with other dogs, regularly walked and groomed and disciplined. The lady who had Scout, while she is a nice gal, didn’t know how to deal with his behavior challenges. She let him get away with any behavior that he offered, and she didn’t build confidence in him. She couldn’t trust him to take him anywhere, and she has a lot of emotional challenges of her own that she regularly works through.

Let me just say- in a busy foster home, in four weeks, this guy has gone from weirdo to happy little dog.

He listens pretty well.

His resource guarding is gone.

When we met, I couldn’t touch him below his neck. Now I can touch him anywhere, without a problem.

I was told that he was scared of men, and a terror to cats and weird around dogs. It turns out he likes men a lot. He is easily redirected from cats (where he pretty much just wants to hump them). He can now take a nap with a cat. He properly greets dogs on walks, and properly plays with dogs at the dog park and at our house.

For the first three weeks, he was constantly worried. He tired himself out with worry because he would stay awake all day and by 8 o’clock, he was so cranky and tired. He’d want to be comforted but also be worried that someone was going to brush him or pet him or otherwise wake him up. So he’d curl his lip and give a tiny snap if you tried to pet him. He learned, after several conversations, that when you are tired, you go sleep by a person but not on them. If you are sitting on a person, they will pet you, and they will not like it if you curl a lip or snap. That’s not okay.

About a week ago, the switch flipped. Instead of worrying that everything is going to be bad, Scoutie now thinks that maybe things are going to be good.

I think we have gas station attendants and McDonald’s Drive-through, and the nice people at Lexi-Dog Social Club to thank for that.

That is the moment I love the most in fostering. I love it when the switch flips, and the dog relaxes and starts acting like a dog.

When you are not worried, you stop being difficult. You start being willing to try things- like baths and brushing, and getting your nails cut (not his favorite). You start being the first out of the car instead of the last.

You try things that are not okay and are told they’re not okay, and you learn not to do them. You also learn that being wrong isn’t a beating or the end of the world. It’s just being wrong.

Scoutie does not need a home with a dog expert. He’s through the hard re-wiring. Now he just needs a home where he’s loved, where he has a routine and proper expectations. He would be great with another dog. He is fine with cats.

He can’t live in an apartment because he is a little yippy when people leave. And a little barky.

I think young kids would still make him nervous, but my golly does this dog love teenagers. I have a senior in high school named Ike, and we often have to check and re-check his bedroom during the day to make sure that Ike didn’t somehow sneak home. I have never seen such an enthusiastic dance than when Ike comes home.

Scoutie is great at:

-going to restaurants and pubs
– visiting people
-riding in the car
– walking on leash. We are working on not pulling.
– getting a bath
– going to bed in his crate
– running up to the door when we get out of the car.
– playing with other dogs

-Scoutie is working on:

– coming when called
-asking to go potty outside (he is much improved. We haven’t had an accident in three days!)

Scoutie doesn’t understand toys yet, but if introduced, I think he would like them.

Scoutie at the dog park

I’d love to find a home where I can get updates on Scoutie. I’d love for him to have a forever home where he is loved! It’d be great if it was in the PNW.

You can be part of Scoutie’s new life.
Are you Scoutie’s potential forever friend and owner?

]]>http://petsaretalking.com/blog/2016/04/scoutie-the-wonder-dog-needs-a-home-is-it-your-home.html/feed0http://petsaretalking.com/blog/2016/04/scoutie-the-wonder-dog-needs-a-home-is-it-your-home.htmlYour First Animal Friend- A Way to Understand the Energetic Signaturehttp://feedproxy.google.com/~r/PetsAreTalking/~3/FaM8g2VVdf4/your-first-animal-friend.html
http://petsaretalking.com/blog/2014/04/your-first-animal-friend.html#respondTue, 08 Apr 2014 03:20:39 +0000http://petsaretalking.com/blog/?p=1626Continue reading →]]>Think back for a minute to the first time you felt close to an animal.

Who was that animal?

If you could use 3 words to describe that animal’s nature, what would they be?

My first animal friend was a dog named Blackie.

Blackie was a beagle/dachshund mix. He was my older brother’s your mom is having twins dog.

Bridget, Cupcake, Blackie and Joel

The 3 words I would use to describe Blackie’s energy are:

–virile ( dude was a wandering rogue with an eye for the ladies. He was about 20 lbs. of man-dog).

– sweet (he loved to give kisses).

– confident (if he got out of the yard, he would race away, looking behind us and laughing because there was no way we’d catch him before he was ready to be caught. Also, he was an unrepentant car chaser).

Close your Eyes and Imagine Blackie

Take a deep breath.

Imagine that you can feel his energy.

Every living thing has its own personal energetic signature, an energetic pattern that’s unique to them.

The first thing we’ll learn in class is how to feel the energy of another living thing.

“After taking Bridget’s class, I feel so much closer to my pets. I check in with them when I’m away from home, and feel like I know, even more, what they’re thinking about and how to help them feel happy.”– Patty Anderson

Here’s your chance to learn how to talk with animals! And since I’m retiring, it’s the last chance you’ve got to learn from me.

I’ve taught this workshop to about 200 people. And with the exception of one person, everybody successfully talked with animals.

It’s so exciting to see people realize that they are getting the right answers, that they are actually seeing pictures, hearing words and getting feelings from their animal friends.

It’s the kind of everyday magic that is simple, warm and glorious to watch.

In my workshop, you’ll learn:

– The 9 different ways animals communicate
– How animals think differently than people
– How people think and how our thinking patterns get in the way of communication
-Your unique communication strengths
-How to deepen your relationship with your pets
-How to break through the silence and connect deeply with your pet
-How to assess your animal’s health
-The key to talking with wildlife
-How to talk with any animal anywhere
-How to find lost animals
-How to talk with animals that have passed to the other side
and more.
You’ll have the opportunity to talk with your pets and your fellow students’ pets. We practice a lot.

A Most Awesome Side Effect

The majority of my students have found that their intuition has grown in other areas as well, simply by learning how to tune into their animals.

Another Fun Bonus

On the last night of class, we can bring our pets, and talk with them in person! (Well-behaved pets only please).

Workshop Logistics

The workshop starts Thursday, May 8th. The class is held at 6 pm and lasts for 90 minutes.

For 5 weeks, we’ll meet at the Lexi-Dog in SW Portland on Macadam.

We will skip the Thursday of Memorial Day Weekend, so as to not get in the way of any vacations.

Each class also includes my workbook. You can read along during class, and reference it later. People learn in different ways. My workshops are designed to incorporate all learning styles.

Everybody Can Talk to Animals

I’ve taught hundreds of people to talk with animals. The hardest part is believing that you can do it. I know you can.

Additional 1:1 sessions available
$150

]]>http://petsaretalking.com/blog/2014/04/portland-oregon-intuitive-animal-communication-workshop-starts-may-8th.html/feed0http://petsaretalking.com/blog/2014/04/portland-oregon-intuitive-animal-communication-workshop-starts-may-8th.htmlNo One Believes They Can Talk To Animals (until they do it).http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/PetsAreTalking/~3/Jy_B1EmOdro/no-one-believes-they-can-talk-to-animals-until-they-do-it.html
http://petsaretalking.com/blog/2014/04/no-one-believes-they-can-talk-to-animals-until-they-do-it.html#respondWed, 02 Apr 2014 03:51:51 +0000http://petsaretalking.com/blog/?p=1577Continue reading →]]>The very first time I tried to talk to an animal, I really tried. And I failed.

I had naturally done it the night before, in the middle of the night, when my dog Beaulah needed me.

But in the morning, no luck.

I squished up my face. I strained. Nothing. Beulah just looked at me, and fell back asleep.

It was another 9 months before that I heard another animal talk. A kitten that we were fostering had a very serious opinion about his name.

His words were clear as a bell, unmistakable.

I had no idea how I had heard them.

A few months later, I adopted an old horse, who was easy to hear, and spoke emphatically and often. And in a couple of years, I had it figured out.

If you are concerned that you can’t talk to animals, you’re totally normal.

If you feel like you have no idea how you’re going to talk to animals, that’s totally okay.

The irony is that you already talk to animals. You always have been able to do it. And you’re probably not too bad at hearing either.

When it comes together, it feels so easy. Remember learning to ride a bike or drive a stick-shift? Remember how hard it felt, how complicated it seemed?

And then you just started doing it, and now you can do it without even thinking about it. Animal communication is a lot like that. Almost exactly like that.

Riding a bike or driving a stick shift- it works so much better when you’re relaxed. It’s so much easier if you settle into it. Animal communication works the same way. It’s not about straining to hear. It’s all about very quietly, softly reaching out.

You can do this.

My next (and last) online class is starting May 6th. Every Tuesday for six weeks, we’ll meet, learn, share and then talk with animals. You’ll learn how animal communication happens, how animals experience the world, and how you can be part of their world.

Between classes (held in a google + hangout), we’ll meet and talk in our own private facebook group.

Each week, you’ll get another section of the Pets are Talking Intuitive Animal Communication Workbook, so that you can read along as I teach. Each week’s hang-out will be recorded, so if you miss a class, you can stay caught up.

I hope you’ll consider joining us for this class. And, whether you do or not, I hope you’ll remember that ease is the key to success. Anything stronger than a light tension pulls us right off the path. You can do this.

I can’t wait to open registration! I expect to open the registration page very very soon!

]]>http://petsaretalking.com/blog/2014/04/no-one-believes-they-can-talk-to-animals-until-they-do-it.html/feed0http://petsaretalking.com/blog/2014/04/no-one-believes-they-can-talk-to-animals-until-they-do-it.htmlIt’s not so much the talking, it’s the listeninghttp://feedproxy.google.com/~r/PetsAreTalking/~3/4YGC7vFKexM/its-not-so-much-the-talking-its-the-listening.html
http://petsaretalking.com/blog/2014/03/its-not-so-much-the-talking-its-the-listening.html#respondSun, 30 Mar 2014 21:30:28 +0000http://petsaretalking.com/blog/?p=1566Continue reading →]]>The new dog is in the back, Michelle texted. His name is Joplin.

I let Lexie, Katin and Emilio out of their kennels and while they danced around and ran down the hall, I went to the back to let out Joplin.

A little grey dog in a little red bandanna, Joplin was confused and a little scared.

I am not supposed to be here, he said.

I know. I said. This is temporary.

He sat on my lap and gave kisses. He sent me mental pictures of a nubbly wool couch, and the soft hands of a woman.

Dogs from a California shelter take a ride up to Portland, Oregon. Lori Stewart Corey and her volunteer staff care for these pooches until the right home is found.

These pooches know that they are dry and warm and fed. They get groomed and loved on. But still, if you’re used to a nubbly wool couch and a specific pair of soft hands, the shelter experience (even at really nice shelter) is weird.

So, the best thing that I can do, as an animal communicator is listen. And give context where I can.

There are people who are looking for a home for you. And I don’t know who you’re going to live with, but I know that they will be nice. It won’t be the home that you were in before, but it will be good.

He sighed, looked in my eyes, looked down at the crook of my elbow and licked it.

Then he got off my lap and wrestled Emilio.

That was a week ago.

Last night, I walked into the kennel, and Joplin was still there.

How are you doing?

I’m good. Did they find me a home yet?

Not that I know of. But I know they are still looking. You doing okay here?

Yes. Everybody is nice here. Do you think it’s going to take a long time?

What is a long time to you? I asked.

He showed me the sun setting and coming up, and trees turning from green to orange. He showed me a hot panting dog, and then a dog hiding from the rain. It seemed like a long time.

No, I said, I think it will be a shortish time.

I showed him dogs coming to play and dogs going home (they stay at a Lexi-Dog Doggie Daycare). I showed the sun going down and coming up, and the dogs coming back and playing again. I showed that a few more times. I showed the weekend, when volunteers come in and walk the dogs, and play with them. I showed a few more weekends.

I said, I bet it’ll take about 3 weeks or so. Maybe longer. Do you know what a week is?

Yes.

He ran after a toy I tossed, and brought it back. He rolled on the floor and let Emilio jump on him.

It’s so good to see him feeling peaceful and hopeful, and just hanging out waiting for his new home!

PS- My last online Intuitive Animal Communication Course registration is going live tomorrow. Do you volunteer with animals? I’m going to have a special offer for you!

]]>http://petsaretalking.com/blog/2014/03/its-not-so-much-the-talking-its-the-listening.html/feed0http://petsaretalking.com/blog/2014/03/its-not-so-much-the-talking-its-the-listening.htmlI am now going to rant about people who make bad choices…and are possibly addicted to rescuing.http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/PetsAreTalking/~3/oxxnN6BNPoA/i-am-now-going-to-rant-about-people-who-make-bad-choices-and-are-possibly-addicted-to-rescueing.html
http://petsaretalking.com/blog/2014/02/i-am-now-going-to-rant-about-people-who-make-bad-choices-and-are-possibly-addicted-to-rescueing.html#commentsWed, 05 Feb 2014 21:57:56 +0000http://petsaretalking.com/blog/?p=1548Continue reading →]]>A few days ago, I received this email.

Hello Bridget,

I have been seeking a communicator for my two dogs. I am hoping that you will or you know someone who can help me.

I have two female dogs who are sisters rescued from ____________.

One has been diagnosed with kidney failure and the other is now peeing 6-8x a day on her bed.

It is over $200 for the tests to see if she also has kidney failure. They may both be put to sleep within a week. Though I can’t afford that either. I have spent over $2000 on the two of them in 2 months and am in danger of losing my house.

Would you be willing to talk to them and find out if they truly are in pain and need the daily medication? Are they feeling so bad they want it to be over? Etc

Their lives are on the line. I can’t even believe I’m considering having them put to sleep but the costs are enormous. If they don’t want to continue living as they are, etc.

I would appreciate any advice or help you can provide.

I don’t know this person. And I’m not 100% sure of this person’s circumstances. There is probably more to her story. So, to be fair, while this email is typical of the emails I get from the people I am about to rant about, I don’t know that she fits this category.

I do know that she has just hit up a stranger for pro bono work because she has a situation that she can’t afford.

If you are $2000 away from losing your home, you have no business rescuing a dog (unless, like the homeless man I met last year, you are willing to put the treatment and well-being of your dogs over your need for shelter).

$2000 is, sadly, a drop in the bucket. In my household, I have a dog with $8,000 knees. I spend over $1200 a year just on pet food. And another $2-3k a year on vet visits and pet meds.

You certainly have no business rescuing two dogs from far away when you yourself live on the West Coast of the United States. Even if a rescue paid to have them shipped to you, you took their resources with the promise that you would be able to take care of these dogs. And now you’re flustered because these dogs have medical conditions.

People who rescue beyond their resources, they frustrate the hell out of me, because most of them know better, and their reasons for rescuing have very little to do with the well-being of who they rescued. They have to do with their addiction to the Rescue High.

Again, I don’t know if this person who wrote this email is addicted to rescuing. I know she’s hurting. I know she could have made better choices.

I am so utterly tired of the wing and a prayer approach to life.

It will work out is not a plan.

You want to help dogs but are lacking cash flow?

Foster a dog.

Or put pictures of adoptable dogs up on twitter or facebook.

Or volunteer at a shelter.

Maybe you have an elderly neighbor who has a dog that needs a walk.

There is so much you can do.

You want to help horses but don’t have the funds to keep one?

Work towards legislation to keep wild horses free.

Raise money for horse rescues.

Clean out a barn or two.

There is so much you can do to make a difference that doesn’t require you to spend a cent.

Maybe it doesn’t give the same emotional high as pulling a little dumpling of a dog out of the euthanization line.

In the long run, you will save more animals.

And you will cause less heartache for yourself.

You will put yourself in a position where you can afford to rescue dogs yourself.

The world cannot afford to pay for your drama addiction.

Notice your own bad choices. And stop doing them.

Stop shrugging your shoulders and wondering about the bad run of luck you’ve had. Notice when that bad run of luck is you NOT listening to your intuition and instead making really short-sighted decisions.

Please Get This:

I am not talking to those souls who are really down on their luck or who are oppressed by a society that favors some more than others.

I’m not talking to fast food workers or grocery store workers or those who get up at six in the morning to collect cans.

Nor am I talking to those who have to work several jobs or who are looking for work and are discouraged.

Or those who rescued an animal when they had money and then experienced a spectacular economic free-fall.

I am talking to the rest of you that know better and continue to make short-sighted choices because quote you just can’t help yourselves unquote. The ones who push down your voice of reason in favor of the rescue high.

I’m talking to those who are addicted to drama.

The people and animals who are really suffering- they suffer more because of your bad choices. You prolong their suffering because you are being needy.

The energy workers you hit up- they can’t help other more deserving people if they are helping you out of a bad choice that you made.

I know that at the root of this, you’re someone who is trying to turn your own dark energy to light.

You’re someone who is troubled, who is lacking, who wants to feel something. I get that.

And a huge part of me comes forward and says Go with God. I hope things get better.

And another part of me says Stop it already. Stop using your power to make things worse for yourself and those innocents that you pepper your life with.

Especially if you look behind you and see lots of moments where someone bailed you out because you made a bad choice.

And Please Stop Thinking Of Energy Workers as Good Fairies.

We are not.

We are real people.

We have mortgages.

We have a limited amount of energy to give. The vast majority of us help more than we should for people who really need it. As I write this, I am fostering a puppy who likes to pretend he’s a bed shark and bite the toe tourists at night.

I was going to add exercise, but you know, that’s a domesticated thing. If you’re being chased by a lion, (or you’re chasing an antelope, for that matter), you’ve got no use for a treadmill.

Animals have the gift of knowing what they want, in the moment. That’s so cool.

And believe me, I get it. I get that humans are here to plan and steward, that if we actually followed the way of Walt Whitman and turned to live with the animals, we’d find ourselves cold, wet and hungry and pissed off.

BUT- wouldn’t it be cool to be in the moment? To lay down when you’re tired. And eat when you’re hungry. And play ball and frisbee, and yes, maybe mix it up with a dog that’s trying to hump you?

Why don’t we know what we want?

Why do we spend so much time chasing stuff we don’t want? Or buying stuff we don’t want and then working at jobs we don’t like to pay for it?

Animals trust their instinct. For better or worse. We don’t. We do anything but. We cerebralize our lives. We process our emotions. We live life without getting dirty.

What is that about?

I’ve spent nearly 3 months not advertising my work with people. I thought I was just having some sort of resistance, that if I could just get over my writer’s block, I could open the doors again.

I’ve been spinning down since October.

I blamed myself. I have these gifts. I should use them. I should help people. Why am I not excited?

And then this morning, at 2:30 am (Thank you, Olive, for your late-night potty break), it hit me. The help I’m giving people–> It’s not the help that people need. And as importantly, it’s not the help I want to give.

It’s not my instinct.

And suddenly, what had felt like a wet smoldering, within me, turned into real heat.

I’m not here to hand-hold and get people through today.

I’m here to reset bones. I want to reset the spiritual bones.

I’m not a sugar tit. I have something against sugar tits right now.

So, for my people clients, I say, unless you are ready to do vital work with me, to be brave and to really want to engage with life, hire someone else.

If you’re ready to have your spiritual bones reset, and to start walking through life with purpose, I’m here for you. For everybody else, my give-a-damn is busted.

If you’re not ready to tune into your instinct, and turn off the other voices that run your life, you’ve got something that you need to work out on your own. And that’s cool. But don’t do it in my office.

There are people who need hand-holding right now. I’m not knocking them. But you might not be one of them.

Instinct matters. Gut matters. The world matters. Being a global citizen and making things better matters. Tuning into nature matters. Being connected matters.

When I leave a successful client session, I want my clients to feel like I’ve talked with their pets, and solved their issues.

I want to foster an environment of trust, so that they know, without a doubt, that I am talking with their pet.

I have heard skeptics say,

Beware the soft belly of Lotus the Cat. It's a trap! Unless you're her mom.

How hard is it to read a cat? “What’s your favorite food? Tuna. How do you feel about swimming? I hate it. What do you want to do right now? I want to go outside and catch birds.”

Skepticism has its place in our society.

Certainly, there are people in my line of work, who do cold reads, who only read animals in person, who take body language and owner cues and turn them into answers.

A cold read is taking the subtle information that someone gives you and giving it back to them as fact.

It’s frustrating because some pet psychics (and other types) don’t even realize that they’re doing it. They actually believe that they’re reading effectively. Or they cold read a bit, and then fill in the rest with their intuition, and the cold read contaminates the rest of the reading.

I am a huge fan of the CLEAN READ.

A clean read is a read where a person simply reaches out, asks the questions and returns the answers, without other information to cause speculation.

In person, a good psychic tries hard not to cold read. Observable information can get in the way of a clean read.

"Comfy" appears courtesy of LJhar6 via a creative commons license

For example, let’s say that you’re having a birthday party for your beagle. You’ve invited people guests, and a few well-behaved dogs.

Your beagle, let’s call him Buddy, is walking around with his tail a bit tucked and he’s panting a bit, and just in general, seems nervous.

A cold reader might say, Buddy isn’t used to so many people. (That seems like a natural observed assumption, right? (Nervous dog, lots of people))

A good psychic would ask Buddy, and might say, Yep, there are a lot of people here, but Buddy likes that, he’s stressed because someone left an unattended plate, and he ate a bunch of “green stuff” (I think, maybe, guacamole?) and he really needs to poop.

or Buddy would like it if that guy would stop touching his dad’s trophies.

How to tell a clean read from a not-so-clean read

I was recently helping a couple talk with their golden retriever. Lucy tends to wake up in the middle of the night. They were concerned about her anxiety.

It would be easy to make the assumption that they have an anxious dog, right?

But, they don’t have an anxious dog.

So, when I said, You know, in talking with Lucy, I’m not getting the personality of an anxious golden retriever. She doesn’t feel anxious to me.

And one of them said, You’re right, she’s not one of those anxious goldens. We just can’t figure out what’s wrong.

If I was cold reading, I’d get a ping about “anxiousness” and find myself going down the trail of how to resolve the issues of an anxious dog (which are totally different issues than Lucy’s issues).

When I talk with an animal, the first clues I get are related to personality, just in the same way that when you talk to a person, you can immediately tell whether they are jovial or stand-offish or blustery.

It’s vital that I share that, first-off, so that the owner knows that I have reached their animal. In the (relatively rare, but it still happens) occasion where I am talking to the wrong dog, I want to recognize that as soon as possible.

If I say, Your dog is bouncing up and down so happy to talk. and the owner says, um…could you mean my neighbor’s dog?, I could certainly be ringing up the wrong dog!

Here are my lovely clients, Ramses and Izzy

A good psychic is going to trust their abilities to the point where if they’re wrong, they’re totally comfortable admitting it and trying again. No psychic has a 100% accuracy rate, any more than an interviewer or journalist has a 100% accuracy rate.

2. Clean Reads are Not Dependent on Breed Information

A clean reader will not make assumptions according to a pet’s breed.

I have met Jack Russells (a breed with a well-known prey drive) who love to curl up with the resident kitties.

I have met Newfoundlands that hate water.

I know a cat that likes to eat melon.

And a rabbit who loves to stare at herself in the mirror.

I know a horse who thinks he’s people, who likes beef jerky.

If a pet psychic starts describing your pet according to their breed specifications, you’re probably dealing with a cold reader.

They should be able to tell how your pet is like its breed, and how he or she isn’t.

This is not to say that there aren’t breed similarities to keep in mind. Whenever I meet an orange cat, I tend to bring up the fact that the recessive gene for a cat’s orange color is also the same gene for small pre-frontal lobes. Orange cats tend to have similar personalities, but there is a wide range of personality within the orange cat family too.

I know a lovely orange cat, Grimalkin, who likes to make jokes.

I live with a sweet orange cat who is excessively paranoid, and has OCD.

Do all orange cats like to make jokes? Nope.

Are they all OCD? Nope.

Do they have a tendency to be a little quirky? Oh yeah.

3. A clean read does not take into account the personality, affluence level, or geographical location of the human client.

Bo - the paranoid and OCD cat takes a nap

Some of my clients are wealthy. And some are famous. They may be people that you’ve heard of. It doesn’t matter.

If a dog shows me a country road, but I know they live in the city, I talk about the country road.

If a cat shows me a cardboard box that he’s particularly fond of, and I know that his owner has great taste in home furnishings and money out the wazoo, I’m going to talk about the cardboard box. The cat knows what his box is made out of. Why should I not trust that?

I once had a horse tell me that he was from Idaho. His owner was calling me from Indiana. I said, Did you know your horse is from Idaho? and he chuckled and said, Yep, I bet he wants to go back there and visit. Can you remind him how far the trip was?

4. A clean read will have bits in it that the psychic does not understand, but still relates.

I may not know why your cat continues to show me a gecko wearing a hat, who is staring at her from under the couch.

But if I tell you this, and it turns out that it’s your kid’s favorite toy and you’ve been looking for it, I sound a lot less like I’m crazy, don’t I?

Sometimes, it’s weird. Sometimes pets show me things that their owners can’t place and maybe I sound like I’m a little bizzaro. That’s part of the job. It’s okay.

So, I will share whatever I get, in the way I get it, without speculation. Because that’s a clean read.

Let’s Hear It For The Clean Read!

I would love to hear about your experiences with clean and not-so-clean reads. And also, about other questions you have about being a pet psychic.